In recent years, it has become the daily practice for the general users to connect a computer to a network, acquire various items of information through the network, and communicate between computers through the network for exchanging information. Various interfaces have been proposed in the art for smoothly and easily sending and receiving information through the network and performing communications between computers. For example, the bookmark function (bookmark) of a browser and the communication destination holding function (address book) of communication software may be referred to as an interface for efficiently acquiring information, sending and receiving information, and performing communications through the network.
There has been proposed a process of using “information image” which includes, as a unit to be handled, image information and related information to bring about a certain operation based on the image information, as a process of acquiring information and performing communications more effectively on the Internet. The information image can easily be managed as it allows an image file and a plurality of items of related information to be managed as a unit to be handled.
With respect to sending and receiving information and performing communications through a network, Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 11-259393 discloses a system for displaying a user information image with which to identify a party to communicate with on the display screen of a personal computer and manipulating the information image to make a telephone call or sending electronic mail.
Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 06-223086 reveals a card managing system providing a database center for managing cards, which is accessible by members, for registering and changing card information on the part of card owners.
With regard to the right to access information, Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2000-253042 shows an information access right managing system, which has a database for managing rights to access information as to electronic cards and allows persons who generates such electronic cards to set rights to access disclosed information.
However, if a link destination or a communication destination for an information image limits an access period or contents of information to be provided, then it is difficult in an information image (user information image) for specifying a communication destination user or the like, performing communications, and sending and receiving information, to set in detail access rights with respect to performing communications and sending and receiving information through such an information image and to perform authentication based on such access rights.
An information image is generally free to duplicate, and duplications are identical to each other. Therefore, persons who have acquired such duplications cannot be distinguished from each other, and they can enjoy the same interests regarding the information image as with the original owner of the information image. Stated otherwise, it is difficult to grasp the real owner of the information image and to set access rights for respective owners of information images.
If an information image has a plurality of utilization items (predetermined operations), then it is difficult to set access rights for the respective utilization items (predetermined operations).
It is also difficult to change the setting of access rights at any desired times such as after the information image has been provided.
For example, there has been no means for an information provider to limit and manage each user in sending an information image that the user owns as an attachment to a mail or storing such an information image in a flexible disk and taking out the flexible disk. Once an information image has been provided to a user, the utilization period of the information image cannot be changed and any limitation on its ownership cannot be changed (e.g., a limitation that inhibits the user to assign the information image to another when the information image is provided cannot be changed to allow the user to assign the information image after elapse of a certain period of time) after the information image is provided. Furthermore, there has been no means for an information image provider to stop only a particular user from utilizing the information image. In particular, it is difficult to grasp the ownership of a user who has acquired an information image by way of duplication, and it is extremely difficult to take an action such as to stop utilizing such an information image for a retrospective reason.
Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 11-259393 shows no functions about a limitation on connecting to an icon and authentication and contains no description as to the grasping of a real owner of an icon.
Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 06-223086 attempts to provide a convenience in updating card information only and contains no description as to limiting access to card information.
The information access right managing system disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2000-253042 has a database for managing rights to access information as to electronic cards. The major function that electronic cards have is limited to the disclosure of information via the electronic cards (a function to refer to information), and the publication contains no description about sending and receiving information via the electronic cards. About the acquisition of an electronic card, only a process of individually acquiring an electronic card from a person who has produced the electronic card is described in the publication. The disclosed system lacks flexibility in promoting the providing of information and accelerating the spreading of a human network.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems. It is an object of the present invention to provide an information image utilizing system, which is capable of, in an information image (user information image) for specifying a communication destination user or the like, performing communications, and sending and receiving information, setting in detail access rights with respect to performing communications and sending and receiving information through such an information image and to perform authentication based on such access rights.